Science Chapter 5 Flashcards
What is an asteroid?
a rocky mass up to several hundred kilometers wide that revolves around the sun.
Define comet.
a frozen mass of different types of ice and dust orbiting the sun.
What is a dwarf planet?
A large, round object that revolves around the sun but HAS NOT cleared the region around its orbit.
An imaginary line around which an object spins.
axis
One full orbit around the sun.
revolution
One whole spin of an object on its axis.
rotation
An explosive eruption of waves and particles into space.
solar flare
The path an object take as it revolves around a star, planet, or moon.
orbit
A group of stars that forms a pattern.
Constellation
What is a planet?
A large, round object that revolves around a star and HAS cleared the region around it orbit.
A natural object that revolves around a planet.
Moon
Any of the four closest planets to the sun. Name them…
Inner planet, Mars, Mercury, Earth, Venus
A spacecraft that gathers data without a crew.
space probe
Earth revolves around the sun in…
an elliptical orbit.
Earth’s tilt and revolution cause seasonal _________ in parts of the Earth.
Differences.
The sun is a _________ sized _________.
medium sized star.
Stars appear to move _______ the sky because Earth ______.
across, rotates
What are 2 characteristics of the inner planets?
- They have solid surfaces
2. They are relatively small.
Objects in the solar system stay in their orbits because of what?
gravity
What are the outer planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
What are 2 characteristics of the outer planets?
- They have gaseous surfaces.
2. They are relatively large.
What have been sent to study the outer planets?
Space Probes
A piece of a meteor that lands on Earth is called a _____.
meteorite
Which layer of the sun gives off the light energy we see?
photosphere
